Mobile manufacturers squabbling like kids lol

[TVC_Colwal]

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Mobile manufacturers are locked in a standoff over what format the next generation of SIM cards should take. Well now the vote has been postponed while the companies fight it out, the BBC reports.

The industry was gearing up to vote, but they've all ended up squabbling like kids having a food fight. Hence the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) -- the organisation governing it all -- has delayed the vote until the end of June.

Apple has offered royalty-free licensing of its proposed nano-SIM design, with the proviso that it's chosen as the standard. If that happens, however, Nokia has threatened to withhold crucial patents, and throw its toys out of the pram into the bargain.

Sandisk, meanwhile, also holds patents that could prove essential, and is resisting Nokia's proposal. Not to be outdone, RIM has thrown its hat into the ring, accusing Apple of having its employees re-register as representatives of carriers to sway the vote Apple's way.

RIM points out that voting by proxy is outlawed.

All the manufacturers listed, as well as telecoms providers (i.e. networks) are members of the ETSI. The plan is to poll them all and hope some kind of consensus is reached. Whichever design is chosen, the nano-SIM is expected to be at least a third smaller than the micro-SIM Apple pioneered.

Someone from Nokia described Apple's proposed royalty-free licensing of its design as "like offering a bicycle in order to borrow our Mercedes." So expect this one to run and run.

ETSI has set out some criteria for the nano-SIM. It has to look different to current SIMs, so no one breaks their phone by trying to shove in the wrong type of card. Nokia has latched onto this, arguing Apple's design is the same length as the micro-SIM's width, and therefore should be disqualified.

"We are not prepared to get into a position where our technology is used to implement a standard that is technologically inferior, and doesn't meet ETSI's own requirements," said Mark Durrant, Nokia's director of communications.

Taken from http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/nano...bles-50007515/

[brandscill]

I think at present it would appear Apples design is the most sensible as it's pretty much the current micro sim stripped of all plastic. I like this as it will be backwards compatible with old devices which I frequently use when travelling outside the UK.

[Freeview+]

Hi All,

Yeah I was reading this the other day on the BBC News App, however I didnt read it fully until just now...

Personally, I dont like the idea of Apple getting on board. As personally they are big enough as it is. And although they are offering it royalty free for now, whats to say a year or so down the road, they get their lawyers onto the case, as with all things... and create "thermo-nuclear-war" on all manufacturers to adopt their way, or be sued the pants off... Although Apple do make "polished" hardware (noticed polished, and not great.... lol), their stance on the market, world wide is to great as it is... and feel it would be better for someone else to hold a position....

As for making it smaller? I disgree... Sims as they are small enough, let alone Apples Micro Sim. Any smaller, and you will either loose it (accidently) or it will break more... I think either keep it the size it is now, and alter the shape, or at worse just go with the Micro one... but any smaller will be a bad thing.

Personally, all these patent wars are just getting silly now. I can understand their point protecting their IP, and stopping blatent rips. But there has to come a point, where either they all go off on a tandent and create radically different hardware/features... or better yet, get together, form an alliance, and create a universal product that will benifit both the end users (best of both worlds) and the manufacturers, as they all claim equal shares in royalities...

Cheers, Freeview

[Jonathan]

Why does it matter? The future is smaller phones, so just go with the smallest SIM design and be done with it.

[TVC_H4U]

Why any sim at all seems to be a useless restriction on the consumer.
I read its their for "International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)" ... Why is their not an app for that?

[TVC_Colwal]

Why any sim at all seems to be a useless restriction on the consumer.
I read its their for "International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)" ... Why is their not an app for that?

Good point actually my first mobile didn't have any SIM card in it, mind you the wheel was square in those days
motorola-bag-phone.jpg

[Freeview+]

Hi TVC_H4U,

That is indeed a very good point... and I remember like TVC_Colwal, my mates phone didnt have a Sim in when he first got his.... as when he got his second one, it created buzz talk... "wow, what is this?? wow, what information can this hold??" How dated that seems now....

I never jumped on the mobile wagon until approaching 2000 (June 1999 to be exact) and I remember my phone, a Motorola with external airel... Within a week of owning it, I took it back to the shops as I couldnt see myself ever becoming, and using a mobile at all.... several phones later, here I am!! lol. Although dont really use it AS a phone... more just a mini computer!!

But getting back to the point, I agree... there doesnt need to be a seperate Sim. Why not host the Sim features on a eProm, that gets activated by the shop. That way they are not locked down specifically, each phone is universal and takes it fate on the network, when purchased. They can then be re-programmed come the selling of them. Sure, this could open up a can of worms for security purposes, as hackers find ways to mod this system, but I am sure they can lock it down to a degree...

I remember reading years ago, that Operating Systems will soon be chipped based... because of the end users getting confused during installations. So they would simply remove the chip (cartridge, for all the oldies... Atari 2600.. lol) and plug in a new chip, with the OS installed... Imagine that???? Obviously it never came to anything, as that was almost 20 years ago... when Acorn was still buzz words!! lol

Cheers, Freeview